But Murphy, D-Glens Falls, was asked to reiterate his position afterward. He did (and it doesn’t seem to me that it’s changed at all) but said this when I asked if debate on this issue, considered by many to have degenerated in recent weeks, has fueled violence against Muslims, including the stabbing of a Muslim taxi driver in New York and, over the weekend (so after Murphy’s comments and my question) suspected arson of a Mosque under construction in Tennessee.

“I think hostile rhetoric can get over the top very easily and it’s been very heated here,” Murphy said. “This is an emotional issue, it’s emotional for all of us who live in New York and have lived through this experience. So I understand why people have strong emotions, but I think it’s important that we use language that’s clear about what we mean, what we’re trying to say. For me, it’s that I don’t want there to be a mosque at Ground Zero, but that it’s also very important to recognize the First Amendment right of people to worship as they wish. I think it’s important that everyone has to be careful with their language and not say things that might be taken out of context or misunderstood.”

“I think there’s a process for getting approval to do that with their property, and that’s an appropriate process, and if I was talking to the people that are planning this I would explain to them that I think they should look at doing it somewhere else.”

The issue has split both Democrats and Republicans, and Murphy’s position is in line with that of Gov. David Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver but opposite the stance of Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.